Writing - part x308, Novel Form, People, Solving the Unsolvable, Expectation Management and Tension

10 November 2017, Writing - part x308, Novel Form, People, Solving the Unsolvable, Expectation Management and Tension

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy.  I'll keep you informed.  More information can be found at www.ancientlight.com.  Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy them.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.

2. Entertain your readers.

3. Ground your readers in the writing.

4. Don't show (or tell) everything.

     4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage of the novel.

5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

These are the steps I use to write a novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:

 

1.      Design the initial scene

2.      Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)

a.       Research as required

b.      Develop the initial setting

c.       Develop the characters

d.      Identify the telic flaw (internal and external)

3.      Write the initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

4.      Write the next scene(s) to the climax (rising action)

5.      Write the climax scene

6.      Write the falling action scene(s)

7.      Write the dénouement scene

I finished writing my 28^th novel, working title, School, potential title Deirdre: Enchantment and the School.  The theme statement is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.  

Here is the cover proposal for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I continued writing my 29^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 28^th novel, working title School.  If you noticed, I started on number 28, but finished number 29 (in the starting sequence—it’s actually higher than that).  I adjusted the numbering.  I do keep everything clear in my records. 

How to begin a novel.  Number one thought, we need an entertaining idea.  I usually encapsulate such an idea with a theme statement.  Since I’m writing a new novel, we need a new theme statement.  Here is an initial cut.

 

For novel 29:  Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns about freedom, and is redeemed.

 

For novel 30:  TBD

 

This is the classical form for writing a successful novel:

 

1.      Design the initial scene

2.      Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)

a.       Research as required

b.      Develop the initial setting

c.       Develop the characters (protagonist, antagonist, and optionally the protagonist’s helper)

d.      Identify the telic flaw of the protagonist (internal and external)

3.      Write the initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

4.      Write the next scene(s) to the climax (rising action)

5.      Write the climax scene

6.      Write the falling action scene(s)

7.      Write the dénouement scene

              

The protagonist and the telic flaw are tied permanently together.  The novel plot is completely dependent on the protagonist and the protagonist’s telic flaw.  They are inseparable.  This is likely the most critical concept about any normal (classical) form novel. 

 

Here are the parts of a normal (classical) novel:

 

1.      The Initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

2.      The Rising action scenes

3.      The Climax scene

4.      The Falling action scene(s)

5.      The Dénouement scene

             

So, how do you write a rich and powerful initial scene?  Let’s start from a theme statement.  Here is an example from my latest novel:

 

The theme statement for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

 

Here is the scene development outline:

 

1. Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)

2. Write the scene setting (place, time, stuff, and characters)

3. Imagine the output, creative elements, plot, telic flaw resolution (climax) and develop the tension and release.

4. Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.

5. Write the release

6. Write the kicker

          

If you have the characters (protagonist, protagonist’s helper, and antagonist), the initial setting, the telic flaw (from the protagonist), a plot idea, the theme action, then you are ready to write the initial scene.  I would state that since you have a protagonist, the telic flaw, a plot idea, and the theme action, you have about everything—what you might be lacking is the tension and release cycle in your scenes.

 

The three types of scenes are serial, parallel, and interlaced.  Parallel and interlaced scenes are a natural setup for a secret or mystery. 

 

I’m trying to come up with examples of solutions to the impossible resolution to show how expectation management works. 

 

The unexpected resolution of the impossible problem usually comes in two types.  One type is the change of some thing.  For example, in Harry Potty or Star Bores, the characters need to change the world by stopping the death star or stopping the actions of the evil Voldermort guy.  Likewise, a similar result comes in A Little Princess where Sara Crew has simply to make contact with her sponsor.  Everything else has already been accomplished by her personality and actions.

 

Heidi, on the other hand is the other type of novel.  In the second type, the protagonist must influence another character or herself to change.  I’ve written before, and this is always true, the climax is an action scene.  In Heidi, the climax occurs when Clara walks for the first time, but Heidi had to influence Clara—or rather, the entire development of the novel had to influence Clara.  Also, note in Heidi, the purpose of the protagonist was to influence change.  This is generally true in most novels, but in these personal change types of novels, it is a much more important force.

 

So, we have two types of climax changes: one that deals with stuff (things) and one that deals with people.  You might guess that those that deal with people are considered the best literature, and you would be right.  The differences might be slight.  For example, in A Little Princess, the change is one of circumstance, but this is true of much of the literature of the time.  Just take a look at Oliver Twist or David Copperfield.  A better example of a personal change is A Christmas Carol also by Charles Dickens.  Scrooge is persuaded in the climax to accomplish good.  In Twist and Copperfield, the character’s change of circumstance happens to bring about the climax—not unlike Sara Crew.

 

You could further subdivide novels of the some thing changes type into pure stuff and circumstance, but that is cutting it a bit fine.  It should be obvious that the result is usually as satisfying when the resolution is based on a thing as it is a circumstance.  In fact, circumstance and changes in persons or thought can be intermixed.  We see this with Dragonsong and Dragonsinger where people don’t change much, but circumstances do, and we are led to believe the people will eventually, or not.  This is ambivalent, but I do not want you to imagine that changes in circumstance or even things can’t provide as good a resolution as changes in people.  It is just noteworthy that people are the focus of most complex literature and modern literature.

 

You can shove the changes in things types into action oriented hero plots—that’s Star Bores to a tee.  I’m not opposed to this type of resolution, I just want people to pay attention to people—that is the primary point in writing.  It is important because it is entertaining—that’s what makes it great.     

 

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:

http://www.ancientlight.com/
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com  

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